Why You Should Be Reading Valiant Comics

Ever since Valiant Comics was rebooted in 2012, they have astounded fans and critics alike with their small but strong line of books. They recruited top talent from the industry to usher in a modern age of Valiant stories. Their signature character X-O Manowar led the charge, paving the way for the likes of Harbinger, Eternal Warrior and more. It can't be denied that the publisher has played their hand carefully and smartly, sticking to a select few titles and putting all of their resources into making them as entertaining and engrossing as possible.

If you haven't jumped on the Valiant bandwagon yet, now is the time. What's best about their books is that there's something for everyone. That's why we wrote up a list to tell you which Valiant comic is for you.

X-O Manowar

By Robert Venditti, Cary Nord, & Various

In a lot of ways, X-O Manowar is the lynchpin of the Valiant Universe. Aric, the time displaced warrior in a suit of mega-powerful alien armor, caused the entire world to show its hands. Super soldiers, immortal warriors and secret organizations came out of the woodwork to battle the invincible Visigoth. This was the book that relaunched the Valiant line, and it remains one of their best titles.

Is X-O right for you? If you like epic space battles, alien warlords, unstoppable barbarians, and tons of crazy action, then you’ll love this book. There’s great character work being done as Aric tries to adjust to our modern world as well as heaps of brutal action crammed in every issue. Just wait until you see X-O punching a grenade into a guy’s chest! It’s Conan the Barbarian meets Iron Man armed with a lightning sword.

Archer & Armstrong

By Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry, & Various

Less superhero comic and more adventure series, Archer & Armstrong is the kind of book only Hunter S. Thompson could love. It’s a bizarre trip filled with Nunjas (ninja nuns, naturally), Hitler clones turned holy monks, spirit monkeys, aliens, and lots booze. Armstrong is an immortal with a serious drinking problem and Archer is the politest assassin to ever grace a comic page. Month after month, this title ramps up the insanity. There’s even a healthy dose of social commentary in these pages, although it’s usually peppered with so much humor and madness, it never feels preachy.

Unity

By Matt Kindt & Doug Braithwaite

Unity is the newest Valiant kid on the block, but it’s also the title most closely tied to the other books. Basically, this is about a super team assembled to battle X-O Manowar. That premise will no doubt evolve, but so far this book serves as a solid companion to the main X-O title. Plain and simple, this is big, bold superhero action done right. The stakes are high. In addition to the armored Visigoth, this comic features the Eternal Warrior, Harada (of Harbinger fame) and the one and only Ninjak. If nothing else, Unity is the place to go to get your monthly Ninjak fix, and we all need more Ninjak in our life, guys.

Harbinger

By Joshua Dysart, Khari Evans, Clayton Henry, Mico Suayan & Various

The themes of Harbinger are probably those that comic fans are most familiar with. This is the story of two incredibly powerful psychics who are set on very different paths and, understandably, clash. Lines are drawn as each man finds other empowered youths and attempts to bring them to their side. Fans of the X-Men comics will find a lot to love here, but Harbinger takes things a step further. Imagine a world where Magneto has won, not with war, but rather corporate takeovers and capital gain. That’s Harada, a guy set on making the world a better place, but only if he’s the one running it. On the other end you have Pete and the Renegades, a group of super powered teens bent on taking Harada down and exposing him to the world for what he really is. It’s an underdog tale and a bloody one at that.